Catholic Cruising and Corporate Travel Service: A History
- Good News Cruise
- Mar 18
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 20
Following the 2026 Good News Cruise that God abundantly blessed, we're sharing a bit about our history—and how our founder, Mr. Joe DiFranco, his son, David DiFranco, and son-in-law, John Hale pioneered music and faith cruises!
Joseph was a life-long admirer of transatlantic ocean liners and was passionate about their history, luxury and romanticism. But when jet air travel brought an end to ocean-going transatlantic passenger transportation in the 1950s and 1960s, the 'steamliner’ industry needed to reinvent itself, looking for a way to use their luxurious vessels for a different purpose. Mr. DiFranco was a contributing pioneer in this transition to what would soon become modern vacation cruising.
Way back in 1970, Mr. DiFranco led his first large group on Royal Caribbean International's first purpose-built cruise ship, the MS Song of Norway in its inaugural year! The ship was 18,000 tons and 552 ft long—and Joseph’s daughter Kristan (DiFranco) Hale (wife to Corporate Travel’s current President, John Hale) sailed with her parents on this cruise when she was just 6 months old!
Over the years, Mr. DiFranco would operate hundreds of group cruise events that hosted television programs, professional musicians, professional sports teams, and other renowned entities paving the way for an eventual partnership with the Grand Ole Opry and musicians like Roy Clark, Trace Adkins, Brenda Lee, Charlie Pride, and Brad Paisley. For over 20 years he produced music cruises, developing an expertise in group cruise management and hospitality that would in time lead to our current incredible partnership with StarVista LIVE—with whom Corporate Travel serves 9 annual music charters!
Along the way, with faith always being such an important part of the DiFranco family, the organization began serving the religious market on cruises. Then in the early 2000's, David and John began organizing a number of pilgrimage cruises for various personalities and organizations including Steve Ray, Teresa Tomeo, Fr. John Riccardo, Catholic Exchange, Ralph Martin, Patrick Madrid, and Ave Maria University. By 2015, Corporate Travel had been involved in producing hundreds of music and faith based cruises.
On more than one occasion, we were part of a group of colleagues who specially chartered a ship holding more than 700 guests in the Aegen Sea in the Footsteps of St. Paul. With Dr. Scott Hahn, Steve Ray and many other dynamic Catholic presenters and priests, we visited remote and uncommon cruise destinations like Tarsus.
That long legacy of developing faith cruises brings us to the culmination, of sorts, of the 2020 Good News Cruise, which because of its popularity has persevered into the 2026 Good News Cruise—the first large Caribbean cruise ship ever chartered with fully Catholic faith-based content!
We do not take for granted the decades of investment and innovation that began with Joseph DiFranco back in the late 1960’s—and we also, of course, give thanks to God who has been so good to us and our guests. We ask that He continue to bless all of our guests, speakers, religious and team members!
Comments